Betting Preview for Bellator 297 with Latest Odds, Picks & Predictions

Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero is arguably this promotion’s biggest event of 2023.

It’s not only because of the headliner bout but also because of the co-main event – Pettis vs. Pitbull. There are two more interesting matchups on the main card and 12 confirmed prelims.

This means that MMA fans will get to watch a real spectacle on Friday, June 16, at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena (televised by Showtime, with prelims available on YouTube/Pluto TV).

If you’d like to take your experience to a whole new level, you can place some Bellator 297 bets.

The best thing is that there’s much money to be made from Friday’s event, since the Bellator 297 odds are amazing.

BetUS is one of the best MMA online betting sites for several reasons. First, this sportsbook publishes its MMA odds before most other sites.

Another reason is that those odds are usually great from a bettor’s point of view. That is exactly the case with the Bellator 297 odds from BetUS.

As you can see in the table above, Bellator 297 betting odds for the favorites are pretty decent. Vadim Nemkov, who’s widely considered to be the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet, is priced at -325.

Further, Patricio Freire’s Bellator 297 odds are -240, which is great knowing that “Pitbull” is the No. 1 ranked fighter in the Bellator pound-for-pound rankings.

If you’re considering betting on the odds for Bellator 297, I suggest reading our in-depth BetUS review to learn more about their site and welcome offers.  

Let’s take a closer look at Bellator’s main event: Nemkov vs. Romero.

With Jon Jones moving to the heavyweight division, Vadim Nemkov is probably the best 205lb fighter in the world. I’m not alone in this opinion – Sherdog ranks him as the best light heavyweight on the planet as well.

Coached by legendary Fedor Emelianenko, he probably won’t go to the UFC anytime soon – Fedor is at odds with Dana White.

So, how can anyone say he’s the best in the world if he’s not competing in the world’s best MMA promotion?

Well, Nemkov has already defeated several former UFC stars, including the current Bellator Heavyweight champ Ryan Bader, The Ultimate Fighter 19 winner Corey Anderson, and many others.

𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐤𝐨𝐯'𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐠 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬! 🪓#Bellator light-heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov defends his title against "The Soldier of God" Yoel Romero at the @WintrustArena! #Bellator297 | Fri, June 16th | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/ic9GYiq4bI

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 6, 2023

He’s 16-2-1 in his professional career, with his only loss inside the distance being a TKO loss to Jiri Prochazka, who later became a UFC champ. It happened on New Year’s Eve of 2015 in Rizin, in which each round lasts 10 minutes. Nevkov was exhausted after round 1, so he just gave up, meaning his TKO loss wasn’t a knockout.

But maybe Cuban KO artist Yoel Romero can knock him out on Friday? I don’t think so.

Sure, he’s got a knockout-to-win ratio of 86.66%, but he hasn’t KO-ed an elite fighter in a while. His last couple of fights were against mediocre fighters.

Plus, considering he’s already 46, he might not have the power to knock out a light-heavyweight fighter. The thing is that throughout his UFC career, he was mostly a middleweight.

Vadim Nemkov isn’t just my favorite bet for Bellator 297 but also one of my best MMA bets of the week.

When it comes to my other picks for Friday’s event, those are Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Corey Anderson, and Daniel James.

Sergio Pettis is the champion of the Bellator Bantamweight division, at least for a few more days. But on Friday evening, I think he’ll have to give his championship belt to Patricio Freire.

Nicknamed “Pitbull,” the Brazilian fighter is widely regarded as the best fighter in the history of Bellator MMA. He’s already won titles in two divisions (lightweight and featherweight) and is looking for another one.

Then, there’s Corey Anderson, who’s probably eager to return to the cage. The thing is that he’s coming off two championship fights with Vadim Nemkov.

Their first duel saw “Overtime” completely dominate his Russian opponent, but the two clashed their heads by accident, for which the fight had to be abandoned.

In the November rematch, Nemkov dominated Anderson, winning the fight unanimously after 25 minutes. Now, the 33-year-old Illinois native has a chance to bounce back with a win over Phil Davis, and I think he will do it.

Finally, I also think Daniel James will beat Gokhan Saricam. “The American Predator” is a 6’6 knockout expert who’s won each of his last five fights by KO/TKO.

Further, two of his most recent losses happened by decision, while a third one was a disqualification for an illegal knee. His next opponent is a Turkish fighter who might be heading toward his first KO loss.

Bellator 297 is a great MMA event for those who like betting on favorites. I’m certain most of them are going to win this Friday. I say “most” because we might see an upset or two.

One fighter who definitely has what it takes to upset the Bellator 297 odds is Emmanuel Sanchez.

Sure, he’s 0-4 in his last four Bellator MMA fights, but one of those was the championship fight against Patricio Pitbull.

I’d also avoid betting on the two biggest Bellator 297 favorites – Max Metzgar and Jordan Newman. Not only is there little value in backing these two, but I also believe their Bellator 287 odds should be way longer.

I think Metzgar shouldn’t be a -1800 favorite, as he’s making his professional debut this Friday. I also don’t think Newman is so good to be priced at -1200.

That’s going to wrap up my Bellator 297 betting preview, but that’s not the only MMA event happening this weekend.

UFC on ESPN 47 is scheduled as well, so it might be worth checking out those odds in the blog below. 

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Footnote:

• Event information is taken from the official Bellator website.